The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
by averylucas4ever
Summary: Christmas would be a little bit different for Ruka and Hotaru this year. / Rukaru. Oneshot.


**A/N:** What? I actually wrote something?

Yeah, sorry for the huge delay, folks. I actually started this an obscenely long time ago, so please forgive any…errors you may find. And Merry Christmas, everybody. I love you all.

Basically, it's about Ruka and Hotaru because they are the freaking cutest thing ever. If only Higuchi Tachibana thought the same way as me…

But without further ado, enjoy! And have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

* * *

When Mikan and Natsume finally became an official couple, it was almost expected (though never outwardly spoken) that Hotaru and Ruka would get together as well. After all, when your best friend has a significant other, it can leave you feeling pretty lonely, right? At least, until you find your own significant other.

That's what everyone expected of the school's resident Ice Queen and the ever adorable Animal Boy. The tension was getting crazy, though it seemed like everyone except the said two felt it – or so it seemed.

However, things would be changing very quickly very soon because it was almost Christmas. And that meant the annual Holiday dance was coming up. Naturally, people who were already couples (Mikan and Natsume) were going together. It was also a great opportunity for guys to ask that special girl they've been crushing on.

And of course, everyone was expecting Ruka to ask Hotaru. Well, except maybe Hotaru. Ruka, however, was thinking along similar wavelengths. He had noticed that ever since he gave up on Mikan (which was pretty much when Mikan and Natsume got together), he'd found himself spending more and more time in the company of Hotaru because Mikan and Natsume were always together doing something, leaving him feeling like an awkward third wheel. Secretly, he really liked Hotaru, but she was oblivious to that fact. Sometimes, so was he. Particularly when she decided to take blackmail photos of him.

On this particular day, the perfect little couple was out buying Christmas presents, which left Ruka and Hotaru at the table still eating their breakfast.

Hotaru cleared her plate, stood up, and said she was going to her lab to work on some new inventions of hers.

"Can I come with you?" blurted Ruka, "I-I mean, I have nothing to do, so maybe I could help you out or something…"

Hotaru looked at him for a second and then nodded. "Hurry up and eat, Nogi, I have important inventions waiting." With that, she turned and left.

Koko, who was sitting next to Ruka, nudged Ruka and winked. Ruka blushed and shoved Koko playfully, getting up to throw away his garbage and hurry after Hotaru, leaving a table of hushed whispers and glances.

Ruka followed Hotaru into her lab after she unlocked the door, looking around at all the inventions while Hotaru walked over to a corner and started working. _Wow…Imai's really good at inventing…but it's her Alice, so I guess it's understandable, _he thought incredulously. He turned around.

"Uh, is there anything you need help with, Imai-san?" Ruka asked, feeling slightly awkward just standing there and gaping while Hotaru was hard at work.

Hotaru stopped for a second, looked up, and…smiled. "No, not right now, feel free to sit if you want."

Blinking repeatedly, Ruka looked…appalled, to say the least. _Did Hotaru just…smile at me? And offer to let me sit? POLITELY?_

It wasn't that Hotaru wasn't a nice person – it was just that Ruka was used to the Hotaru jumping at every chance to take photos of Ruka for the sole purposes of blackmail, and he had been ready to run away when he had asked that question. To where, well, he hadn't gotten that far. But it turned out it wasn't necessary.

So, deciding that today was going to be a good day, he went over and sat down next to Hotaru, immediately feeling awkward again. Ruka, determined to break the uncomfortable silence between them, got ready to speak. He opened his mouth and said, "Um, what are you working on?" the same time Hotaru said, "So, how have you been?"

The two looked at each other for a second, and Ruka started laughing. _Look at us…we're acting so nervous…like there's something we both need to say, _thought Ruka while laughing. _I don't know how to ask though…_

_I wonder what Nogi's thinking about. Maybe…,_ Hotaru wondered while she fastened a screw onto her invention. She was making Christmas presents for people with her Alice, saving her money – which, obviously, was of utmost importance.

"So, uh, Imai-san, are you going to the Christmas dance?" Ruka asked, fidgeting and playing with his fingers a bit.

Hotaru looked a bit surprised but quickly reverted back to her expressionless face and said, "I guess so. I'd probably just tag along with Mikan and Natsume though. It's not going to be very exciting. Never really has been."

In Ruka's mind, he flashed back to the first dance he had seen Mikan at. It was back when they were all ten years old and when he was still in love with Mikan. Now, six years later, those feelings had disappeared and were replaced with new ones for her best friend, Hotaru. He smirked.

"What are you smiling about, Nogi?"

Ruka didn't even notice the question, because he was thinking about why and when he fell for Hotaru. _It wasn't too long after Sakura and Natsume got together…What do I like about her anyways? She's always blackmailing me, she doesn't really smile, and she doesn't talk much either._

But then he remembered one day, after class, he had seen Mikan and Natsume holding hands. He wasn't over Mikan at the time and his heart had hurt after seeing them together. Natsume was his best friend and he should have been happy for him, but it was hard to see your best friend with the girl you liked. That day after class, he went over to the tree by the North Forest to just sit and think by himself.

_Flashback_

_Ruka walked over to the tree, sat down, and leaned against it. He felt like crying. "I should be happy for Natsume…but why is it so hard?"_

_His fist pounded the ground. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming. Ruka looked up to see a flash and then a girl with short black hair and a Polaroid._

"_You know, Nogi, if you don't stop making those weird faces then my blackmail will never end. Just thought you should know. But never mind that, keep making faces. It's good for business," Hotaru said matter-of-factly, positioning her camera to get ready to take more pictures._

_The initial feeling in Ruka was anger, which turned into panic for when she sold those pictures of him making angry faces, and finally it turned into defeat and amusement. He laughed, somewhat cruelly. This all seemed so petty compared to the turmoil going on inside of him._

"_If you're still worried about Mikan, don't. She still loves you. Just not the same way as Hyuuga," stated Hotaru as she sat down to look through the pictures she just took._

_This blunt statement brought about a look of disbelief upon Ruka's face. How did she know exactly what he was thinking?_

"_You're very easy to read, Nogi."_

"_Okay, now you just sound like Koko. Next thing I know, you'll be writing out what you figure out about me on a sign and showing the world," Ruka said with a chuckle._

_Then, the unexpected happened. Hotaru looked up and…smiled at him._

_And for some reason, his heart skipped a beat._

_End Flashback_

"Nogi, you're smiling so much it's worrying me," Hotaru said, "What on earth are you thinking about?"

Ruka turned to look at Hotaru and grinned. Remembering how wonderful that day was after that caused him to smile involuntarily.

Suddenly, he felt a burst of courage. Ruka didn't know what it was from; he just knew that he felt braver and ready to take on whatever the world threw at him. So, he turned to face Hotaru with a serious face and asked, "Will you go to the Christmas dance with me, Imai-san?"

As soon as he finished saying that, he immediately felt small again. He blushed furiously and turned his head to the opposite side.

_You idiot! Why would you ask her that randomly? She probably won't even want to go with you, she probably thinks of you as nothing more as a friend, just like Mikan,_ scolded Ruka mentally.

"…Okay."

Ruka glanced over, face still cherry red. Was that a blush on Hotaru's face? "R-Really? Are you sure?"

He inwardly cursed himself and his stupidity.

_WHY WOULD YOU ASK IF SHE WAS SURE? YOU IDIOT!_

"Of course I'm sure. It should be much more exciting than just watching Mikan and Hyuuga get all lovey-dovey with each other," Hotaru said with a serious face. She looked at her clock. "Well, I'm going to go see if the idiot and her boyfriend are back yet. See you around," she said, putting down her alarm clock and leaving the lab and a very red but happy Ruka sitting there.

Later that evening, Ruka and Natsume were in Natsume's room.

Ruka wanted to ask Natsume what he should do now that he had a date to the dance, but he wasn't sure how.

Natsume stared at Ruka for a second, who was deep in thought, and asked him, "Ruka. Are you okay? You seem a bit out of it."

"Huh?" Ruka was surprised as he snapped out of dream land. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I just…wanted to ask you a question. Um…"

"Um? What's your question?"

"What-should-I-do-if-I-have-a-date-to-the-holiday-dance," he said in one breath. He was just full of courage today. Asking all these big questions.

Now it was Natsume's turn to look surprised. "Ruka, you asked a girl? Who is it? Who are you going with?"

Looking down, Ruka said quietly, "Imai-san."

"What was that? I couldn't hear you," Natsume said.

Ruka looked up. "Imai-san."

Natsume was shocked. He had noticed that his best friend acted weirdly around Hotaru and assumed that he had feelings for her, but he had no idea he would actually work up the courage to ask her to the dance.

"Wow…Ruka. I didn't know you had it in you."

"Um, yeah, neither did I. Something just made me feel reckless and stupid. Don't know what though. But I'm glad I did it, because she said she would go with me," Ruka finished with a weak smile.

Meanwhile, Mikan and Hotaru were lounging around in Hotaru's lab. Well, Mikan was anyways. Hotaru was busy at work on her Christmas presents, which she wanted to get done quickly, seeing how Christmas was only a week and a half away. She only half listened to Mikan talk on and on about her wonderful day with wonderful Natsume at the wonderful little shops with the wonderful little gifts. If there was any more wonderful, Hotaru decided, she would wonderfully knock this wonderful idiot out with her wonderful Baka Gun.

"So, Hotaru, have any guys asked you to the holiday dance yet?" Mikan asked slyly.

Hotaru stared at Mikan for a second and then went back to work. "Yup."

"REALLY? Who is it?" Mikan was excited to hear this. Her best friend! After all these years, finally going to the dance with a date! She was so happy for her!

"Nogi."

"Ruka-pyon! Oh, I always knew you two would be so perfect for each other! I'm so glad you've realized it too! And now me, you, Natsume, and Ruka-pyon can double date! How exciting would that be?" Mikan babbled happily.

Hotaru sighed. "Mikan, it's just a dance. It's not like anything revolutionary is going to happen."

"You never know, Hotaru. Christmas is a magical time…" Mikan said with a little twinkle in her eye. "Anyways, I'm going to help you get ready for the dance with me! So we can both look great! Oh, I'm so excited!"

The rest of their night was filled up with Mikan talking to Hotaru about how she should do her hair, makeup, and all that other girly stuff. Hotaru just sat there and continued half-listening. But in the corner of her mind, she thought maybe, just maybe…

It really would be a night she wouldn't forget.

This was it. The day was finally here.

The day of the dance. Classes went on normally, but of course everyone just wanted classes to be over with so they could all go get ready for the dance. Granted, class was pretty chill, but everyone's minds were preoccupied with the dance.

The only person who seemed indifferent to the Christmas hype seemed to be Hotaru. Then again, she was called the Ice Queen for nothing. Inside, however, she was ever so slightly nervous. She didn't want to think she had feelings for Ruka; I mean, he used to love her best friend so why would she like him? But with each passing day the two were around each other, Hotaru couldn't help but think that Ruka seemed so different than he used to. Nevertheless, her stubborn personality refused to believe that she had any sort of feelings for him greater than that of a friend.

After the last classes let out, the students all rushed to go get ready and make final preparations for the holiday dance. Everyone was very excited, and at this point even Hotaru showed a tiny bit of excitement (but not too much) and went over to Mikan's room to get ready with her.

One hour and many hair products later, the two best friends were ready. They walked out together to the dance hall, and spotted Natsume and Ruka after scanning the crowd. And they looked pretty good, almost…charming, to Hotaru's pleasant surprise (not that she would admit it).

Natsume and Mikan smiled when they saw each other and pulled each other into a hug. Hotaru nodded at Ruka, and Ruka blushed slightly, though he smiled back. The happy couple walked out to the dance floor to dance, Hotaru headed towards the food, and Ruka stood there, confused. He then decided to follow Hotaru. _I don't know how to ask people how to dance…_, Ruka thought, cursing his timidity. Poor Ruka.

"W-would you like to dance?" _Why did I just stutter? Why, cruel world? Why?_

Hotaru looked over at him. She tilted her head and smiled. "I was beginning to think you'd never ask, Nogi."

On second thought, maybe it was a smirk.

Ruka blushed. _All this blood rushing to my cheeks cannot be healthy_. He took Hotaru's hand and led her to the dance floor. Awkwardly, he put his hands on her waist and she awkwardly put her arms around his neck, turning her head to the side to rest her cheek on his shoulder. Ruka closed his eyes and smelled Hotaru's hair.

After about five minutes, Hotaru looked up at Ruka's face. "Nogi, want to go get some food? I'm hungry."

Ruka, obviously in a semi-dream state, just nodded and followed her. He watched her pop a strawberry into her mouth and then went to get a glass of punch for himself. When he came back, he was about to open his mouth and ask if she was having fun when Koko and Sumire came up to the two, snickering. Hotaru and Ruka both turned to them, wondering what was so funny. Koko pointed to something above Hotaru's head and all four of them looked up.

A small cluster of mistletoe, neatly tied together with a red ribbon, hung above Hotaru. Hotaru and Ruka looked at each other, and once again, Ruka's blood cells all seemed to want to congregate in his cheeks. He thought he saw Hotaru's cheeks turn a light shade of pink.

Koko grinned; after all, he could hear their thoughts loud and clear. Whether they were coherent thoughts or not – well, that was another matter. Nevertheless, he did want to see his two friends happy, so he said, "Ruka, be a man, okay?" He took Sumire's hand and walked away.

Ruka looked down at his shoes, then up at Hotaru's face.

"I-I, uh, um…" His voice trailed off. Ruka stared at the strawberries as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Um…Ruka." His attention snapped back to Hotaru. This was the first time she had ever called him Ruka.

"Yeah?" Ruka was fairly certain his cheeks were still as red as the ribbon that held the mistletoe together.

"If you want to, um…you can. But you don't have to." At this, Hotaru began to turn different shades of red and pink.

Ruka looked taken aback. "A-are you sure, Imai-san?"

She nodded briskly, taking a small step closer to him. He smiled, and took a step towards her, closing any space that was between them and gently kissed her. When they broke apart after a few seconds, Hotaru and Ruka were both smiling.

"Merry Christmas, Ruka."

"Merry Christmas…Hotaru."

* * *

**A/N: **Happy Holidays, everyone =]


End file.
